1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical communication equipment and, more specifically but not exclusively, to the generation and distribution of optical power for use in optical line cards and other optical devices of an optical transport system.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the invention(s). Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.
An optical line card is used for interfacing optical communication lines, e.g., carrying optical signals to and from a central office to the rest of the telecommunication network's central offices. A typical optical line card is a modular opto-electronic circuit assembled on a printed circuit board. Its representative modules may include one or more optical-power sources (e.g., lasers), an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, an optical add/drop multiplexer, a digital signal processor, a controller, a power-management unit, a performance monitor, various optical and electrical interfaces, and other miscellaneous optical and electronic devices. During operation, the various devices of a line card may generate significant amounts of heat, which requires the use of cooling equipment and imposes an upper limit on the device-packing density in the line card and/or in the corresponding equipment cabinet or rack.